Man found not guilty of unjustly taking granny's house

Published 11:27 pm, Wednesday, February 17, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- A city man was found not guilty Tuesday of fleecing his grandmother out of her home.

A Superior Court jury deliberated about three hours over two days before finding Kel-Mel Prevail not guilty of first-degree larceny.

"This is the right and just result," said Prevail's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Jeffrey LaPierre. "This was not a criminal case, this case should have been handled in civil court. Mr. Prevail is glad that truth has shined through."

Prevail, 32, was accused of tricking his 83-year-old grandmother, who suffers from dementia, into transferring her house on Valley Avenue to him on Oct. 3, 2008.

But during the five-day trial before Judge John F. Kavanewsky Jr., LaPierre presented evidence that he said showed that the property transfer was made with the assistance of an experienced local lawyer and at the time, the lawyer and a witness to the quit claim transfer believed the grandmother understood the transaction.

"There was significant evidence during the trial highlighting that this case had at its center a significant family dispute," he added.